Bandsaw guide bearings...

[Mark Mazzo]

I have a Delta 14" bandsaw that came with the Carter guides and bearings. I noticed the other day that the bearings on the lower guide would not turn. The lower thrust bearing does, but not the side rollers.

I removed the bearings and cleaned them up, thinking that they would free up, but they did not. I'm not sure why they would have frozen, but that seems to be the case. I beleive that these are sealed bearings so I don't think they can't be lubricated.

Does anyone have any experience with these bearings? Can they be revived or do I need to replace them? If I need to replace them, does anyone have a source? Also, for the future, how should these be maintained if they are indeed sealed bearings?

Thanks.

--Mark

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Mark,
I was attempting to buy Carter guides to upgrade an old 18" bandsaw. After sending Carter photos and dimensions, they never got back to me even after a reminder. In the meantime, I did more research and found that a lot of folks (1 out of 2) disliked Carter guides for two primary reasons: small blade stability issues; and problems with the bearings. Perhaps their non-responsiveness is a favor in diguise. It seems that folks either love them or hate them preferring wood or cool blocks instead. However, I still might give them a shot.

But to your question...I have lubricated many "sealed" bearings with a very light oil like router bearing oil. Try laying the bearing flat and pour a small bead of oil between the seal and the rotating bushing of the bearing. Let the bead sit there for a while, then try to rotate the bushing. Once it moves, add more oil and keep rotating the bearing's bushing. I do not recommend using penetrating oil.

I don't know how long the light oil will last in the bearing so you may have to make this part of a regular maintenance cycle. I do not recommend soaking them in any cleaning solution for you will never get the stuff out of the bearing. Worst case, I heard folks getting replacement bearings from Carter. If the bearings are not unique, you can probably match up something from Grainger or McMaster-Carr also.

By the way, when the bearings did work, how did you like the Carter guides?

cheer, Jeff :)

[Brad Townsend]

You might take some measurements and check out http://bearingsdirect.com/products/index.php?action=category&id=1
and you might find what you need. I ran into a similar situation a couple of weeks ago (guide bearing fell off and I couldn't find it) and I was able to find a replacement at a local industrial supplier.

[Bill White]

Most all bearings have an identifying number somewhere on the bearing. If you have a bearing supply house nearby, take the old bearing to them. Chances are that they can fix you up.

[Steve Clardy]

I do a similiar thing that Jeffery does. Let them sit in a diluted oil and wd-40 solution, in a can for a while.

[Robert E Lee]

Mark, you can also clean the out side of the bearing, cover the side with very light oil, then take your air nozzle and lighty push the oil into the bearing while tring to turn it. This is a temporary fix while you wait for replacements.
Robert E Lee

[CPeter James]

I attended a seminar on band saws a few years back and the speaker said that in fact hard steel or ceramic blocks actually work better than the rollers. His theory was that PROPERLY adjusted blocks cool and clean the blade, while bearings allow the blade to accumulate pitch and dirt and build up heat. The key is to properly align the blocks so that they don't wipe out the teeth. It really makes sense if you think about it.

CPeter

[Jim DeLaney]

I attended a seminar on band saws a few years back and the speaker said that in fact hard steel or ceramic blocks actually work better than the rollers. His theory was that PROPERLY adjusted blocks cool and clean the blade, while bearings allow the blade to accumulate pitch and dirt and build up heat. The key is to properly align the blocks so that they don't wipe out the teeth. It really makes sense if you think about it.

CPeter

Makes sense.

Also, it kinda explains why Laguna is using the ceramic guides, both on the sides and behind the blades instead of bearings or 'cool blocks.'

[Jeff Geltz]

I had the same issue with a set of Euro guides that came with my Laguna LT18 that I bought used some years ago. All the bearings were siezed and when I fired up the saw sparks were coming out of the lower guide!

I replaced them with a set of Ceramic Guides from Laguna and the cuts are phenominal. The saw runs much quieter as well.

[Ted Christiansen]

For Jet 18" bandsaw owners with seized bearings. The bearings that came with the saw are not double sealed, and the bearings on the lower guide will probably fail first (mine did) because of the constant sawdust.

Grainger carries double sealed bearings item# 6L024 for about $8 each. A search for the Jet Tools part number for the bearing (BB-6202ZZ) shows a price of about $13. These are probably not double sealed and would probably last about as long as the original bearings.

Ted Christiansen

[Pete Bradley]

These bearings should be easy to get and around a buck apiece from a bearing supplier. Ask for the cheapest you can get as quality doesn't matter in this application

I get bearings from Accurate Bearing in Chicago (www.accuratebearing.com) (http://www.accuratebearing.com%29).

Pete